Every day many people depend on the safe and reliable operations of a building's vertical transportation system. Providing a competent maintenance is so important for the customers and also for the elevator companies. But the service provider for an elevator is not automatically the manufacturer company which installed this elevator. A maintenance of an elevator could be executed either by this elevator's OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or by another independent company authorized by the manufacturer on a self-maintained basis. Today, most new elevators run on integrated or proprietary computer-based software that requires specialized tools and databases for proper maintenance that only the manufacturer can provide.
One advantage of using OEM maintenance is the ability to provide spare parts quickly and reduce overall downtime for repairs. In addition, with OEM maintenance the customers deal with the organization that designed the equipment and know its operating systems the best. Independent elevator maintenance companies often charge less for their maintenance programs than manufacturers. Generally, manufacturer's maintenance contracts are the most risk-free choice. If an elevator facility has connected with a proprietary equipment which is not provided by the manufacturer of this elevator or by an authorized user, then the proprietary equipment and its user will have just limited maintenance service options and generally will have to pay a premium for elevator maintenance. The proprietary equipment means an equipment, e.g. control device or measurement device, that the manufacturer of the elevator has no obligation to divulge any information about this equipment, although this equipment could be used for this elevator.
Generally, the manufacturer must supply all information, documents and function-tools for all their elevators to third parties which are required for adequate maintenance to provide safe operation of these elevators. In the maintenance information there is the information e.g. about a method of dealing with an occurred abnormality and steps of operating instruments used in maintenance working. However, the manufacturing companies may not provide or license the field devices, software interface or knowhow documents for specialists to third parties. A third party means in this application a third party individuals or a company that is not part of the manufacture company, for instance: competitors, building owners, property managers, self-maintainers, wholesalers, and other customers. For example, a diagnostic and commissioning tool which features improved connectivity with elevator control, provides error messages in local languages, and serves as a key to access the specialist level of the elevator control menu may not be available for third parties. As the same manner, some important documents such as technical catalogs and technical documents for specialists don't belong to the adequate maintenance information, but to desired advance or optimum maintenance information too. With advance or optimum maintenance information a technician can be advantaged e.g. in getting an increasing amount of technical information and data and accessing in real-time etc. So provision of maintenance, repair, mounting and installation services and construction works by a manufacturer usually has to be governed by general service provision conditions.
WO201134527 describes a method for remote access to multiple subsystems of an elevator control system. The method includes receiving a request to establish a remote connection at an elevator control subsystem from a remote user system.
WO9935076 describes an elevator system for which maintenance is tailored for each of the individual hardware components of the elevator.